For a week, Ernst-August-Platz in Hannover was transformed into the city's scientific hub. The "Highlights der Physik" featured an interactive exhibition, a diverse program for children and teenagers, and captivating lectures. The festival showcased how entertaining and comprehensible science can be.
At 30 booths and exhibits, visitors experienced physics up close. They learned about glowing cucumbers and levitating cakes, how climate change can be measured from space, and the properties of the world's roundest sphere. They discovered why roller coasters stay safely on their tracks thanks to artificial intelligence and ventured into virtual worlds with VR headsets. There was especially much to explore for children and teenagers: in the junior lab, they experimented with building blocks and vinegar rockets, while workshops made physical principles such as electron microscopy and quantum cryptography understandable.
In 40 lectures, physical topics were explained and discussed in an engaging manner. Harald Lesch kicked off the event by embarking on a musical journey to "Sun, Moon, and Stars" together with the band "Quadro Nuevo" in the fully-packed Theater am Aegi. The science festival concluded at the same venue: at the equally sold-out lecture concert "James Bond im Visier der Musik," Metin Tolan, accompanied by the Ärzteorchester Hannover, analyzed the physics behind the spectacular stunts and futuristic technology of the famous secret agent.
The Highlights of Physics 2024 were organized by the German Physical Society and Leibniz University Hannover. This year, QuantumFrontiers, together with PhoenixD, took on the scientific leadership. Naturally, many of our members contributed various exhibits, lectures, and other presentations. Among other things, they introduced the most accurate clocks in the world, showed how to carry out experiments in zero gravity with the EinsteinElevator, presented our research on quantum computing and took the audience on a search for elementary particles.
We are delighted that we could bring the Highlights of Physics to Hannover and were able to inspire visitors with our science over six eventful days.
